Carl Benton Reid (August 14, 1893 – March 16, 1973) was an American actor.

Early years

Reid was born in Lansing, Michigan. He used his full name professionally because when he worked in radio, four other people in the business were named Carl Reid.

Career

For seven years, Reid performed in leading-man roles of productions at the

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square whe ...

. He achieved fame on the Broadway stage in 1939 as Oscar Hubbard, one of Regina Giddens's (

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...

) greedy, devious brothers in the play ''

The Little Foxes ''The Little Foxes'' is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, considered a classic of 20th century drama. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 of the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the litt ...

'', and made his film debut reprising his role opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

in the 1941 film version. He also appeared in several Shakespeare plays on Broadway, and in the original production of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

's ''

The Iceman Cometh ''The Iceman Cometh'' is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 perf ...

'', as Harry Slade. His stern, cold demeanor quickly stereotyped him in villainous, and/or unpleasant characters, although he could play a sympathetic role, as he did occasionally in such films as the 1957 TV-movie version of ''

The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

''. Here he played the Mayor of Middelburg, who unsuccessfully requests help from the Mayor of Hamelin (

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...

), when Hamelin is the victim of a flood. The flood leads to the famous plague of rats which invade Hamelin, and set the main plot in motion. He played the American Admiral, who is leading the peace talks between the Americans and Chinese during the Korean War in MGM's '' Pork Chop Hill''. His last film role was the judge in ''

Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...

'' (1966). On

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

, Reid played Roger Allen in the soap opera '' Big Sister''. On television, Reid had the role of the U.S. spymaster known only as The Man in '' Amos Burke, Secret Agent''. He made four guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'' during the show's nine-year run between 1957 and 1966. His final television role was as Claude Townsend in the TV series '' The F.B.I.''.

Personal life

Reid was married to actress Hazel Harrison, whom he met at the Cleveland Play House. They had a daughter, Shirley Jane.

Death

On March 16, 1973, Reid died at his home in Studio City, California, at age 79. He was survived by his wife and his daughter.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1941) as Oscar Hubbard *''

Tennessee Johnson ''Tennessee Johnson'' is a 1942 American film about Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by William Dieterle and written by Milton Gunzburg, Alvin Meyers, John Balderston, and We ...

'' (1942) as Congressman Hargrove *'' The North Star'' (1943) as Boris Simonov *'' In a Lonely Place'' (1950) as Capt. Lochner *''

Convicted In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is con ...

'' (1950) as Capt. Douglas *'' The Fuller Brush Girl'' (1950) as Mr. Christy *''

The Killer That Stalked New York ''The Killer That Stalked New York'' (also known as ''Frightened City'') is a 1950 American film noir directed by Earl McEvoy and starring Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin and William Bishop. The film, shot on location and in a semi-documentary sty ...

'' (1950) as Health Commissioner Ellis *'' Stage to Tucson'' (1950) as Dr. Noah Banteen *''

The Flying Missile ''The Flying Missile'' is a 1950 black-and-white Cold War era Columbia Pictures film starring Glenn Ford and Viveca Lindfors. Made with the cooperation of the US Navy,Ford 2011, p. 111. it tells a fictionalized story of the then recently revealed ...

'' (1950) as Dr. Gates, USN *'' Smuggler's Gold'' (1951) as 'Pop' Hodges *'' The Great Caruso'' (1951) as Park Benjamin *''

Lorna Doone ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

'' (1951) as Sir Ensor Doone *'' Criminal Lawyer'' (1951) as Tucker Bourne *'' The Family Secret'' (1951) as Dr. Steve Reynolds *'' Indian Uprising'' (1952) as John Clemson *''

Boots Malone ''Boots Malone'' is a 1952 American drama film directed by William Dieterle. It stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck sports agent and Johnny Stewart as a rich runaway who wants to become a jockey. Plot Down on his luck, jockey agent "Boots ...

'' (1952) as John Williams *'' The First Time'' (1952) as Andrew Bennet *'' The Sniper'' (1952) as Mr. Liddell (uncredited) *'' Carbine Williams'' (1952) as Claude Williams *'' The Brigand'' (1952) as Prime Minister Triano *'' The Story of Will Rogers'' (1952) as Senator Clem Rogers *''

Main Street to Broadway ''Main Street to Broadway'' is a 1953 American romantic musical comedy-drama film by independent producer Lester Cowan, his final credit, in collaboration with The Council of the Living Theatre, which provided tie-up with a number of well-known B ...

'' (1953) as Judge Robbins in Fantasy Sequence *'' Escape from Fort Bravo'' (1953) as Col. Owens *'' The Command'' (1954) as Col. Janeway *''

Broken Lance ''Broken Lance'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark, and Katy Jurado. Shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope, ...

'' (1954) as Clem Lawton *''

The Egyptian ''The Egyptian'' (''Sinuhe egyptiläinen'', Sinuhe the Egyptian) is a historical novel by Mika Waltari. It was first published in Finnish in 1945, and in an abridged English translation by Naomi Walford in 1949, from Swedish rather than Fin ...

'' (1954) as Senmut *''

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

'' (1954) as Mr. Griswalde *'' Wichita'' (1955) as Mayor Andrew Hope *'' One Desire'' (1955) as Sen. Kenneth A. Watrous *'' The Left Hand of God'' (1955) as Father Cornelius *'' The Spoilers'' (1955) as Judge Stillman *'' A Day of Fury'' (1956) as Judge John J. McLean *'' The First Texan'' (1956) as President Andrew Jackson (uncredited) *''

Strange Intruder ''Strange Intruder'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Irving Rapper and starring Edmund Purdom, Ida Lupino and Ann Harding. Plot Dying in a Korea prisoner-of-war camp, Adrian Carmichael learns his wife Alice has been unfai ...

'' (1956) as James Carmichael *'' The Last Wagon'' (1956) as Gen. Howard *'' Battle Hymn'' (1957) as Deacon Edwards *''

Spoilers of the Forest ''Spoilers of the Forest'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Joseph Kane, written by Bruce Manning, and starring Rod Cameron, Vera Ralston, Ray Collins, Hillary Brooke, Edgar Buchanan and Carl Benton Reid. It was released on April 5 ...

'' (1957) as John Mitchell *''

Time Limit A time limit or deadline is a narrow field of time, or a particular point in time, by which an objective or task must be accomplished. Once that time has passed, the item may be considered overdue (e.g., for work projects or school assignments). In ...

'' (1957) as Lt. Gen. J. Connors *'' Tarzan's Fight for Life'' (1958) as Dr. Sturdy *'' The Last of the Fast Guns'' (1958) as John Forbes *'' The Trap'' (1959) as Sheriff Lloyd Anderson *'' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959) as American Admiral at Peace Conference *''

The Bramble Bush ''The Bramble Bush'' is a 1960 American drama film, based on the controversial novel of the same name, directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Richard Burton, Angie Dickinson, Barbara Rush, Jack Carson and James Dunn. It was released by Warner ...

'' (1960) as Sam McFie *'' The Gallant Hours'' (1960) as Vice-Adm. Robert Ghormley *'' The Underwater City'' (1962) as Dr. Junius Halstead *''

Pressure Point derive from the supposed meridian points in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, and martial arts. They refer to areas on the human body that may produce significant pain or other effects when manipulated in a specif ...

'' (1962) as Chief Medical Officer *'' The Ugly American'' (1963) as Senator at Confirmation Hearing *''

'' (1966) as The Judge

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Carl Benton 1893 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Male actors from Lansing, Michigan Male actors from Michigan